Sidney Lends A Helping Hand

Sidney has been feeling extra charitable lately. In recent weeks, he and his teammates have been giving back to the community in spades. Remember, I told you that he and Mark Recchi purchased luxury suites at the Mellon Arena to make them available for use by different charities. Here is an account from the older sister of the best friend of a very sick young girl who got to enjoy Sid's hospitality for the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on 10-19-07:

Earlier this summer, before entering 8th grade, Molly found out that her best friend had a lump on her brain. A few weeks later, the lump was found to be cancerous.

[...]

Her best friend, Chelsea, is unyielding and beautiful. Her triumphs have made it easy to forget she’s barely a teenager. And, she’s a hockey fan. She loves the Penguins, people.

Chelsea and Sidney
The girls found out a week ago that Sidney Crosby was offering his private box for last night’s game. They were whisked via limo (packed with Halloween gift bags and sparkling cider) to the arena where they were able to watch the game from, literally, the best seats in the house. I sent Molly out with my camera and she came back with some great stories.

You can read the entire story and see some great photos of Chelsea and Molly with Sidney and Mario Lemieux, as well as other photos of the girls at the game over at ThatNight.net. Here at TSCS, we send out our very best wishes to Chelsea.

Yesterday (Monday, October 22), Sidney and his Penguins teammates took some kids to Dick's Sporting Goods to pick up some gear for the colder months in conjunction with Project Bundle-Up:

“All the guys look forward to doing this. It’s nice. We have some fun; the kids give us some pretty good laughs. We enjoy it,” Sidney Crosby said. “It’s always interesting – you meet different kids every year and they have their own personalities and are fun to be around. So, we’re always excited to do this.

Sid helps the kids pick out some boots.
The children involved enjoyed a lunch of Pizza Hut pizza with the Penguins players. Then, they paired up with a player and searched for new hats, gloves, jackets, boots and other cold-weather wear. Afterward, the players signed autographs for the children.

It's so nice to hear that the Penguins take time out of their busy schedules to give some disadvantaged kids not only just some warm clothes but also an entire day they will never forget.

Tonight has been designated by the Penguins as Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the Mellon Arena. They face the New York Rangers, and players from both teams will be wearing pink decals on the back of their helmets. The coaches of each team will be wearing the HFC Pink tie. Both Sid and Mark Recchi will use their luxury suites to host local children who are cancer survivors and children currently battling the disease at the Penguins HFC game.


If you would like to do something to help out, you can click on the Hockey Fights Cancer logo above and buy something. I've linked it to take you to the NHL shop's list of 16 items that, when purchased, part of the proceeds will go to the HFC organization. Eligible items include the Reflections on a Hockey Season coffee table book, the pink HFC tie, and several pink team hats. (By the way, this is the only time pink is acceptable in sports attire.) Or you can simply make a donation by clicking this link. Remember, it doesn't have to be a large sum of money - every little bit helps.